


A Burning Hill

by gothicfont



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Brothers, Dadza, Father-Son Relationship, Found Family, Gen, Grief, Techno needs a hug, Technoblade Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade are Twins, no beta we die like friend, set during the battle to destroy l'manburg, slight deviations from the smp but mostly the same
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-12 18:15:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28639860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gothicfont/pseuds/gothicfont
Summary: There is so little time for all Techno needs to say. There aren’t enough quiet mornings or cloudy afternoons or star-flecked nights. No time to help Tommy understand why. All that remains is the flaming rubble of L’manburg and the wreckage of what could have been. Tommy’s face is streaked with dirt, blood, and angry tears. He’s screaming and screaming like the world is ending, unable to do anything but watch as bombs rain from the sky.Techno supposes that to Tommy, the worldisending.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 57





	A Burning Hill

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first fic ever and honestly I just wanted to rlly dig into the latest l'manburg drama so enjoy!

There is so little time for all Techno needs to say. There aren’t enough quiet mornings or cloudy afternoons or star-flecked nights. No time to help Tommy understand why. All that remains is the flaming rubble of L’manburg and the wreckage of what could have been. Tommy’s face is streaked with dirt, blood, and angry tears. He’s screaming and screaming like the world is ending, unable to do anything but watch as bombs rain from the sky. 

Techno supposes that to Tommy, the world _is_ ending.

Arrows glance off Techno's armour as he navigates the ruins of the city. He privately revels in the hot scent of sulfur and burning wood. Destruction is not beautiful; it is devastating. It is everything wrong and yet so just about this world. Techno is intimately familiar with the despair and death he leaves in his wake. 

The president of L'manburg stands in front of Techno, wounded and shakily challenging the pig-hybrid. With one well-placed slash of a sword, Tubbo is on the ground again hissing in pain.

To destroy and burn and kill; it is not good, but it is just. It is necessary. 

"Techno, _look at me!"_

"I _am_ looking at you, Tommy."

Tommy is standing on a mound of rubble, balancing precariously on some of the planks that used to make up L'Manburg's town square. His face is a mess of pure anguish as he looks at Tubbo's crumpled form on the concrete. Tommy's chest heaves, and then he yells over the explosions to his older brother.

"You were our _friend!_ And you know what, I thought friendship--"

"You never thought of me as a friend, Tommy!"

Tommy grew angrier. "Techno, for once in your life listen to me, you _were my friend--"_

"I listened to you for weeks, and what did you do? You went back to Tubbo. The guy that exiled you, that chose his country over you?" 

"People are above the government! We--"

Techno hoarsely yells into the smoke and ash, _"I'm_ a person!" He realizes in that moment that the words come directly from the darkest and most hurt part of his being. His hands, usually so sure and capable, suddenly tremble. 

"You are!" Tommy shouts, barely coherent past his own pain. "And so are we! The discs-- The reason the discs-- is because they were stolen from me--" 

"Discs aren't people!" Techno roared. 

"Nothing was taken from you here! You're selfish, you're destroying what people made for your own self-gain. You're selfish!"

The hybrid dodges a round of TNT bombs and looks at Tommy, stone-faced. "All of these problems are because of your government. Your government has caused all these issues! I believe in freedom, Tommy."

It is tedious to recite the same adage repeatedly to someone so incredibly dense. Government corrupts good people, therefore government needs to be abolished. Techno is a seasoned anarchist and knows that the downfall of this nation would ultimately be better for everyone.

And if Techno is being honest with himself, it is also rather fun to be the monster everyone expects him to be. To inhabit the role of blood god and send souls skyward with a few blows of his perfected weapons is a dark thrill that the hybrid lives for. It is terrifying to admit the hold that bloodshed has on him, but it is a pleasure like no other. Restoring order and sampling the delights of his weapons. The power of a president can change people, but washing gore off your hands and face after a night of brutality is an incomparable drug.

"When you were peer-pressured into killing Tubbo? That's not freedom, that's you following what the government tells you." Tommy's voice was pure derision, dripping with loathing.

Tubbo gets closer to Tommy, badly wounded and clearly shell-shocked. Tommy helps Tubbo up to the platform, and Techno can see Tubbo's scarred arm get slung around Tommy's shoulders. Techno tracks the concern on Tommy's face, and feels a stab of bitterness.

Techno is more annoyed than anything as he says, "Tommy that was like, four months ago okay--"

"It was! And you killed Tubbo! Don't forget about the past right now Techno." Tommy is infuriated, yelling with renewed purpose. 

"'Cause he was president!"

"And you killed him."

"Yeah, 'cause he was the _president!"_

Tommy pauses, and then says, "But even when he wasn't the president. You killed him."

Techno takes the weight of Tommy's accusation in stride. He is long past the point of allowing himself to care deeply about the boy, but as Tommy glowers at him something in Techno's heart aches. He distantly thinks of Phil, and tries to block out the fuzzy recollection of Phil holding a much younger Tommy in one arm as he made breakfast for their little family.  
Tommy's temper and explosive personality had been stable over time, but there is something so fundamentally broken etched into the angry lines on the boy's face. The hybrid pushes away guilt. This world isn't good, and people can only help themselves.  
It's a lesson Techno thought Tommy had learned by now. 

Phil had raised them in training grounds and firelight, teaching the boys to survive and protect themselves. Techno and Wilbur had left early on, determined to make their mark on the unforgiving world. Tommy had followed suit, though he was much too young.  
Techno generally tries not to have any regrets, and can usually justify his actions.  
But Tommy's misery-stricken face, still soft with youth, makes Techno wonder if perhaps he could have done more. If he should had taken Tommy under his wing sooner. Techno had tried to provide for him and protect him, but the boy would barely tolerate his presence. 

Though their little family wasn't traditional by any means, he thought that it at least meant something. Techno had hoped that there was a trace of his baby brother left. He had chastised himself for getting too comfortable in the idea of family the moment Tommy chose Tubbo over him in the ruins of the community house.

Now, looking at the two boys forced to play soldier, it was apparent to him that Tommy did have a family. It just didn't include Techno.

In answering Tommy's accusation, Techno merely shrugs. 

Tubbo's eyes are dull, but Tommy provides enough spitfire for both of them as he grimly declares, "You're as bad as the government, Technoblade."

Techno wheels around to face Tommy and gesticulates wildly with his crossbow in hand. "Remember when I was sittin' there alone against the whole government, and you and Wilbur just sat there on the sidelines and watched? Did you step in? _Did you step in?"_ His free hand is clenched into a fist to try and suppress his trembling as he shouts, "Were you guys the ones that stepped in and said _'Don't worry Technoblade, we know you're in a high pressure situation but we'll fight the world for you.'_ No! You guys just watched! You know what I did? Yesterday? When the whole world was against you, _I walked in._ I was willin' to fight all of them for you, Tommy. I would have been there. That is the difference between us."

Tommy is uncharacteristically silent.

The words escape so fast Techno barely has time to temper them. In a moment of rare shame, the hybrid feels his cheeks heat with embarrassment. Try as he might, Techno can never escape the desire to have loyal allies that he can trust. No, more than that. Buried deep in his heart, he longed for his lost brothers. It is something Techno refuses to acknowledge, as coming to terms with his ardent longing for the little family would most assuredly end poorly for him. Techno is a machine; he is the blood god. There is no room for humanity in the merciless things Techno does. Besides, Phil's sporadic appearances are more than enough. It is certainly more than Techno thinks he deserves.

But _oh, to be loved._ To have someone grab him by the shoulders and reassure him, to tell him that they would be there _no matter what._ Oh, to be known.  
Somewhere in a different life, a cleaner, kinder version of Technoblade sits in a log cabin with his father and brothers. There is no pain or devastation, war is but a fairytale. Days are spent going on adventures and being together more often than they are apart. Food is made by careful hands and served at a worn wooden table. The other Techno falls asleep each night to his twin's soft humming and wakes each morning to Tommy's bright laughter.

But Techno does not have the luxury of being known or loved. He knows that his last words to Tommy were a stark admission of weakness, and silently hopes that it flew over the boy's head. Techno bites his tongue hard enough to draw blood, which provides ample distraction from the lump forming in his throat.

There is no room to be emotional here. Not in the craters of a town he destroyed. Not with Tommy looking at him like that. Techno slips effortlessly back into the role of blood god; the barbarian swine.

Techno holds the memory of Tommy's betrayal in the community house close. He takes the memory and lives in it, determined to hate his brother. His adversary. His lets his features settle into a scowl as he mentally memorializes how little Tommy cares for him. Maybe the boy _had_ learned how the world worked after all. 

Techno takes another breath. "Don't speak to me of loyalty."

"You were my friend and you betrayed us!" Tommy is yelling loudly, the one thing he knows he does best. "The thing about our government is that it didn't _interfere_ with you!--" 

The hybrid snarls. "--Yes it did!--" 

"The discs were stolen by Dream, why would you--" 

Techno interrupts again, "I don't care about discs! I care about freedom! We can't _have_ freedom with the government--" 

"You have your own freedom, just let people love what they love!"

They're yelling over each other, neither hearing what the other is saying. Techno is growing tired of the senseless arguing that clearly isn't going anywhere. The boy's face is red with rage, and Tubbo sags against him. The sky is getting dark, and Techno thinks of Phil again. They need to leave soon.

"Tommy?" 

"You're selfish, Techno."

"I used to think like you did, Tommy. You know what they did to me?"

"You're selfish!"

Tommy's eyes are alight with righteous anger, and Techno watches his chin wobble as he spits the words at him.

Techno presses on. "They _hunted me down._ A whole butcher army. They executed me. I tried bein' peaceful Tommy--" 

"You didn't have to do this--" "--but the government made it clear that we could not coexist--"

Tommy is now weeping in earnest, holding Tubbo in a white-knuckled grip. "You blew up the entire-- you _spawned withers_ just like you've done again! All you've done is repeat history, but _worse."_

"You guys brought this upon yourselves! I was willin' to live in my cottage, but you guys made it clear--" The hybrid pauses his tirade to turn and shoot a firework at a gathering group of insurgents nearby. 

"Technoblade! You can't live in a cottage after you blow up the government. That's not how it works. Actions have consequences." 

Techno allows himself a feral grin as his firework hits its mark, scattering remains and brilliant red sparks in every direction. He turns back to the boy. "Actions do have consequences, Tommy. _And these are the consequences!_ It's over." 

Techno takes in his surroundings and notices Quackity watching the argument unfold behind nearby rubble. Upon seeing Quackity, Techno takes off after him, driven by bloodlust and the need for revenge. He chases his opponent down and hacks his armour to pieces. 

Quackity screams in frustration and yells after the hybrid, "You can't live in a cottage because you did this exact thing! You blew up L'manburg!" 

"I changed! I was willin' to be peaceful and you guys--" 

"It doesn't matter! It doesn't _matter."_

The explosions are suddenly so loud in Techno's ears, and he fights off dizziness. Everything is on fire and the air is thick with despair. 

Quackity yells out to him again. "You were meant to suffer the consequences for what you did! You could have taken your punishment and left--" 

"Taken my punishment and left? You would have killed me!" 

Quackity tips his head back and lets out a halting laugh. "True! That's very true." 

His candor is refreshing, but is even more indicative that Techno did the right thing. Techno knows in that moment that these people do not care about right and wrong. Their institution of government demands _control._

"Technoblade!" 

Tommy's voice sounds weak, but it reaches the hybrid's ears through the chaos. 

"You've become the tyrant." 

In another life, Techno would have stirred at the emotion in the boy's voice. The shock and disbelief; the pain and grief. But as Techno expertly wields his trident, he knows that they are too far gone. 

"The world will be better, Tommy. The world will be better without government."

Leaving behind the devastated boy, Techno takes to the water and propels himself into the sky. He unleashes a flurry of airstrikes, each going off in a spectacular blaze of glittering red and black. He hears Phil laughing in the distance and feels relief. The world is a swirling sequence of demolition; it is horrific and wonderful. Withers are everywhere, and it is not an easy task to dodge all of them while searching for enemies. 

Tommy and Tubbo are trying to escape the carnage, leaning on each other. Techno notices them both bleeding profusely and turns away. These are the consequences of war.

**Author's Note:**

> let me know if you would be interested in a second Philza-centric chapter!


End file.
